<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Christmas at Ronnie's by unkindravens</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27770953">Christmas at Ronnie's</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/unkindravens/pseuds/unkindravens'>unkindravens</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Schitt's Creek</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Found Family, Friendship, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:20:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,431</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27770953</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/unkindravens/pseuds/unkindravens</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stevie and Ronnie spend Christmas Eve together through the years.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Stevie Budd &amp; Ronnie Lee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>63</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Schitt's Creek: Frozen Over (2020)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Christmas at Ronnie's</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">



        <li>In response to a prompt by
            Anonymous in the <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SCFrozenOver2020">SCFrozenOver2020</a>
          collection.
        </li>
    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  <strong>Prompt:</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Stevie's family, well, sucks. So when she was in high school, she and Ronnie established a tradition or two together during the time of year when most people were spending time with their families. </p>
<p>This can be set when Stevie was in HS, an ordinary celebration when they're both adults, figuring out how to hace this together when they're both adults, or coming back to it after they haven't done it for a couple years; that's up to you.</p>
<p>(I can't prompt Stevie Budd &amp; Ronnie Lee bc it's not a canonical tag, pls help save us)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>1993</strong>
</p>
<p>The Budd kid was running up and down the iced-over sidewalk. Which is a normal kid thing to do, except she’s alone and it’s seven o’clock and dark and Christmas Eve.</p>
<p>Ronnie opened her front door as Stevie slid past. “Hey! Do your parents know you’re out here?” That was partly a rhetorical question, but that’s the line you say to the nearly feral children.</p>
<p>Stevie ran to Ronnie’s porch and skidded to a stop, wiping the brunette hair sticking to her lips. “Nah, dad’s home again, so mom doesn’t care what I do,” she said with a defiant lift of her chin.</p>
<p>Ronnie groaned and waved her hand. “Come on in, Budd. It’s freezing.”</p>
<p>Stevie narrowed her eyes like she was calculating what Ronnie could want: was she getting in trouble?</p>
<p>“Come <em>in</em>, I’m tired of standing in the door. I’ll make hot chocolate.”</p>
<p>Stevie grinned and started to hop inside when Ronnie held up a hand. “Boots,” she said, blocking Stevie until she stomped off the snow. She let the kid inside and stared pointedly until Stevie removed her boots.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Ronnie said. “Have a seat. You hungry?”</p>
<p>Stevie sat on the sofa and nodded, unbundling herself of her scarf and parka.</p>
<p>Ronnie reheated the leftovers from her dinner in the microwave and put the kettle on for hot chocolate. “You not doing anything for Christmas Eve?”</p>
<p>Stevie tilted her head. “Are <em>you</em>?”</p>
<p>Ronnie smiled at the brat who was helping herself to a bowl of candy. “Not this year, just watching Christmas movies by myself. You wanna watch with me? <em>It’s a Wonderful Life</em> is coming on.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that sounds cool,” Stevie said, with clearly feigned disinterest. As Ronnie turned back to the stove, she caught a smile on Stevie’s face.</p>
<p>They were quiet until Ronnie presented Stevie with dinner and sat down on the couch.</p>
<p>“So what’s going on at home? When’d your dad get back?”</p>
<p>“This morning,” Stevie said with a mouthful of food. “Wasn’t gone long this time.”</p>
<p>“Your mom doing okay then?”</p>
<p>“I guess. She’s happy now so she let him in the house.” Stevie frowned. “We were gonna decorate the tree tonight, but she forgot.” She looked at Ronnie’s Charlie Brown tree in the corner. “Yours is pretty.”</p>
<p>“Thank you.” Ronnie regarded Stevie for a moment. She didn’t know if this is what she should do, but she wanted to ask. “You want to sleepover? It’s getting late and I can take you home in the morning. Santa might even have something for you under the tree.”</p>
<p>Stevie rolled her eyes. “I know Santa isn’t real, Ronnie. I’m ten, not stupid.”</p>
<p>Ronnie chuckled. “Fine, then I’ll have something for you. I should call your mom so she doesn’t worry.”</p>
<p>“She doesn’t care.”</p>
<p>“Sure she does. She loves you, you know that right? Sometimes her priorities aren’t… ideal.”</p>
<p>Stevie nodded. “<em>Quite</em> not ideal.”</p>
<p>The phone call was brief. Stevie’s mother had no problem with her child not being home for Christmas morning.</p>
<p>That night she tucked Stevie into the couch and left the tree lights twinkling in the dark. She rustled up some books and candy so the kid would have something to open in the morning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1997</strong>
</p>
<p>Stevie’s mother was driving her insane. Stevie got caught smoking pot with Twyla’s cousins and her mom went on and on about her reputation and standing in the community.</p>
<p>“Everyone knows we’re fucked up and you get high all the time!” She had yelled at her mom before ducking out of the house.</p>
<p>Now that she was outside, Stevie didn’t know what to do, she just knew she wasn’t feeling the Christmas spirit in her house. They had baked cookies and decorated the tree that afternoon. Then, of course, the fucking mayor called with the marijuana scandal.</p>
<p>Stevie found herself about a kilometer from home, having walked to Ronnie’s without thinking. She hoped she was home.</p>
<p>“You’re a real pain in my ass, Budd,” Ronnie muttered as she pulled Stevie inside. “What were you doing with the Sands boys anyway? They’re morons and you know better.”</p>
<p>“What else am I supposed to do? It’s so boring here.” Stevie flopped down on the couch. “I can’t wait to leave, this place sucks.”</p>
<p>“You only have a few years until university,” Ronnie said. Stevie opened her mouth, but Ronnie stopped her before she could even speak. “You’re <em>going</em> to college. You’re too smart not to.”</p>
<p>Stevie sighed. “Whatever.”</p>
<p>“How are your grades?”</p>
<p>“Jesus, I should just have my report card sent here.”</p>
<p>“Watch your language in this house.”</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Stevie murmured. “Straight A’s.”</p>
<p>“Goddamn right,” Ronnie said and Stevie laughed. “You’re gonna be alright, kiddo.”</p>
<p>“I guess.” Stevie stared at her hands for a while as the moment landed. Then spoke up: “Can I get some eggnog? I’m parched.”</p>
<p>“Absolutely not.”</p>
<p>“Come on, I already smoked pot, you might as well give me alcohol!”</p>
<p>“I’ll throw your ass back on the streets.”</p>
<p>“Whatever, you love me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>2008</strong>
</p>
<p>Ronnie looked up as Stevie hoisted herself onto Bob’s empty desk at town hall.</p>
<p>“Why are you here?” Stevie asked. “It’s Christmas Eve.”</p>
<p>“Working, unlike some people. How’s the motel?”</p>
<p>Stevie shrugged. “A craphole. I’m working the desk tomorrow. Merry Christmas to me.”</p>
<p>Ronnie leaned back in her chair. “What you up to tonight, Budd?”</p>
<p>“Nothing, was gonna ask you the same.”</p>
<p>“So you broke up with what’s-his-dick?”</p>
<p>Stevie nodded. “You break up with what’s-her-tits?”</p>
<p>“Yep,” Ronnie answered. “Come over, be my date.”</p>
<p>Stevie crossed her legs so she was entirely on Bob’s desk. “As long as there’s alcohol, food, and no fuzzy feelings, I’m in.”</p>
<p>Ronnie narrowed her eyes. “Fuck makes you think I can’t be fuzzy?”</p>
<p>Stevie laughed. “Knowing you my entire life.”</p>
<p>“Any warm feelings are kept between us,” Ronnie said. “We got reps to protect.”</p>
<p>“<em>Die Hard</em>?”</p>
<p>Ronnie nodded. “You know it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Present Day</strong>
</p>
<p>“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Ronnie grumbled, slumping into the couch.</p>
<p>“Oh, come on, what else do you have to do?” Stevie asked, bumping her shoulder into Ronnie’s. She looked across the room. “Plus, I know you miss Moira, don’t pretend like you don’t.”</p>
<p>Across David and Patrick’s living room the Roses and Brewers were talking loudly and wildly. Well, the Roses were, the Brewers, as always, looked on with amusement. Patrick caught her eye and winked.</p>
<p>Ronnie rolled her eyes and Stevie slapped her arm. “Be nice.”</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>Stevie contemplated that a moment. “You know, I don’t know. David and I kinda live for this feud.”</p>
<p>“Glad we can entertain.”</p>
<p>This was the first year David and Patrick hosted for the holidays, so David was flitting around like a moth (an analogy Stevie made sure she told him earlier), making sure everything was just so—even though it was just the Roses, Patrick’s parents, Stevie, and Ronnie. There was an obnoxious tree and obnoxious sweaters and Stevie better be getting an obnoxious present.</p>
<p>“So, interesting move you pulled earlier,” Ronnie said with a laugh.</p>
<p>“What move? Patrick shoved me under the mistletoe! And, honestly, who the fuck hangs mistletoe for a family party?”</p>
<p>“Hmm.” Ronnie looked Stevie up and down. “So kissing Alexis was like…?”</p>
<p>“Kissing my sister,” Stevie snapped. “Yes!”</p>
<p>“And not like kissing a smoking hot entrepreneur who knows you in a way most people’ll never get to?”</p>
<p>Alexis managed to pick that moment to look over at Stevie and smile. Stevie shifted in her seat. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”</p>
<p>“Hmm…”</p>
<p>“Stop making that noise!”</p>
<p>Ronnie laughed with a snort. “You do you, Budd.”</p>
<p>They sat a while with their wine, blissfully unengaged by the rest of the party. Whatever, so maybe it did warm Stevie’s heart to see her family together. Or her family and her Alexis… whatever. TBD.</p>
<p>“Remember that year that year I ran up and down the sidewalk in front of your house until you let me in?” Stevie asked.</p>
<p>Ronnie leaned back and widened her eyes. “You did that on purpose? You little shit…”</p>
<p>“I knew you were a sucker!” Stevie looked down and fiddled with her glass. “I just always thought you were really nice.”</p>
<p>“You thought <em>I</em> was really nice?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, like you didn’t give a fuck what anyone else thought. It was cool.”</p>
<p>Ronnie smiled and sat up straight. “So like a role-model then?”</p>
<p>Stevie rolled her eyes. “You’re as bad as David.”</p>
<p>“Well, we’ve certainly come a long way,” Ronnie said, looking at the family in front of her.</p>
<p>“Cheers to that,” Stevie said and they clinked their glasses.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/corvidapocalypse">Tumblr</a>
</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>